


dark

by mewtophia



Series: claude [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Claude von Riegan-centric, Gen, M/M, Mentioned Lysithea von Ordelia, Minor Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Nyctophobia, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), The pairing is actually minor here, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-09
Updated: 2021-01-09
Packaged: 2021-03-12 22:35:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28643061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewtophia/pseuds/mewtophia
Summary: Claude is brave.Claude is a leader.Claude is an example.Claude is a fearless leader, he is brave, and an example. Nothing scares him, as a leader should be.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan
Series: claude [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2099052
Comments: 2
Kudos: 37





	dark

**Author's Note:**

> i love making this boy suffer lmao
> 
> this is based off of a personal headcanon of mine lol

Claude is brave.

Claude is a leader.

Claude is an example.

Claude is a fearless leader, he is brave, and an example. Nothing scares him, as a leader should be.

Claude has dislikes, like everyone else. And he  ~~ is afraid of ~~ dislikes the dark. The dark makes him vulnerable to potential danger, and he  ~~ is scared ~~ not pleased with it. He carries a candle whenever he goes to the library, or a lamp, whatever lasts longer. He watches his surroundings to make sure nobody catches him in the library late at night, alone.

He is alone.

And he feels a sense of peace.

He reads and researches, leaves, and sleeps. And he lets the nights repeat.

Lysithea is scared of ghosts, and it’s understandable. She is a child, as much as she wants to deny it. They are all children, but Claude refuses to be one. To be a child means being scared, and Claude is  _ not _ . To be a child means letting the dark consume and scare you, and Claude does  _ not _ .

Claude is anything but a scared, pitiful child.

Claude is a fearless leader, he is brave, and an example.

Claude is the heir to the Leicester Alliance, he is the future duke of the Riegan Dukedom.

Claude is  _ not a child _ , and never has been.

And Dimitri is his idol.

Dimitri is strong, fearless, and a leader.

Claude is weak, yet fearless, and a leader.

He catches Dimitri in the library, lamp and book in hand, and he feels a rush of relief.

Claude enters the library one night, his book in hand. He decides to return the book, no time in his schedule to return it the next day.

And he drops the candle, removing any light he had. Stupid.

Claude is stupid.

He picks up the candle, the fire no longer lighting up the room, and he’s left in darkness.

He lets in a large inhale, and heads into the darkness.

Claude isn’t scared, the library is familiar to him. He has seen every nook and cranny in the room, this is easy. Claude isn’t scared, he knows where to place the book, it’s an easy and simple task he can carry out.

Claude isn’t scared.

He places the book into the shelf, letting out a sigh of relief. He hears a noise.

And he runs.

He runs out, and he’s greeted with the dark hallways. No light in hand, he has no choice but to run back to his room.

And he runs.

He runs, and runs, and runs,  _ and runs, and runs,  _ **_and runs, and runs—_ **

And he’s back.

He enters his room, sliding on his door and onto the floor. He curls up, hugging his knees tight.

Dimitri approaches him the next day, asking if he’s okay.

“I’m okay, no worries, your Princeliness.” He says, a twitch in his smile. Dimitri nods and smiles, and he leaves to class.

Claude was  _ not _ scared. He was simply trying to get back as soon as possible, not wanting to get caught.

_ By what? _

He doesn’t want to get caught by teachers, the knights, by Teach, by  _ assassins who could slit his throat, or by guards who could strangle him at any given moment, or— _

Claude is not scared.

Claude is a fearless leader, he is brave, and an example.

And he’ll continue to be.

Night comes, and he enters the library, no candle in hand. He searches for the book he needs, for his important research. He feels shivers up his spine, but he ignores it as childish fear.

He doesn’t need childish fear, it’s only a hindrance to his goal. He doesn’t  _ have _ a childish fear, because he is a leader. He is fearless. He is an example.

And he feels a hand on his shoulder.

He jumps, throwing the book at the figure, hearing the book make a “thud” noise. And he doesn’t know where to go.

He is trapped, and he hears his name.

“Claude? Claude—“

No,  _ no. _ He will fight back, because he isn’t scared.

But he can’t move.

He can’t move.

Claude is scared.

Claude is scared of the dark, he has a childish fear, the dark makes him fear for his life.

Claude is not brave.

Claude is not a leader.

Claude is not an example.

Claude is a scared child, he is terrified, and as much as he hates to admit, he is a child.

He is a child that’s scared from the simplest thing, yet he can’t help but  _ be _ scared.

He admits to himself that he is a child, he admits to himself he isn’t a leader, he admits to himself that he’s nothing  _ but _ a child.

“Claude?”

And he hears Dimitri’s voice.

He clings onto him, and he feels Dimitri’s warm touch wrap around him.

He clings onto him like a scared child.

He is a scared child.

Claude is afraid of the dark, and he hates it.

**Author's Note:**

> I personally think he’d be afraid of the dark, considering a lot of assassination attempts happen in the dark. I’ve seen some headcanons about his bad eating habits, hoho.
> 
> This boy’s got a lot of bottled up paranoia,,,


End file.
